


The Twentieth Time

by Madame



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent Series - Veronica Roth, Insurgent (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Extramarital Affairs, F/F, Fluff, implied future jeanine/tris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 08:31:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7427635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame/pseuds/Madame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of a soulmark Divergent series AU I've been working on, Jeanine and Evelyn were in Erudite when they were younger and good friends before their marks came through and they didn't have each others names. Evelyn left for Abnegation and married Marcus, in the book she apparently had an affair with an unnamed person before she left the factions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Twentieth Time

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to everyone I've dragged kicking and screaming into this pit.

The air is cool against their exposed skin, Jeanine can feel the warmth and weight of Evelyn's arm across her own from where she's laying next to her in the large bed. The breeze sweeps in through the open window and the only sounds now are their calm breathing and gentle rustle of the curtains. Jeanine is often grateful for the climate of the city, she's read history records of naturally occurring cold weather with temperatures below freezing, she can bear the heat as long as she never has to get that cold.

Evelyn shifts next to her, she's staring at the ceiling like Jeanine, Evelyn has probably lost count of the amount of times they've done this. Jeanine knows this is the twentieth. The twentieth time they've snuck away, the twentieth time Evelyn has lied to her pathetic excuse of a husband, the twentieth time Evelyn has whispered how much she needs Jeanine but it is more than the twentieth time Jeanine has failed to deny Evelyn what she wants. Jeanine hasn't denied her anything since they were children, not her notes, not her explorations after curfew, not her first kiss, she can't. 

Jeanine thinks it's unfair of Evelyn to expect to be let into her heart again after breaking it 15 years ago but maybe she knew Jeanine doesn't have an defenses with her. Evelyn just had to say her name softly and take her hand like it was the most natural thing like she used to all those years ago as if the only difference between them are the lines on their faces and Jeanine's walls are crumbling. She thought her foundations were strong, she had been building up her heart since the day Evelyn said goodbye, but one touch, one reminder of what they had before their marks came through and ruined everything.

Evelyn hasn't addressed Jeanine's mark yet, she's avoided her right shoulder entirely. Jeanine turns her head to look at the dark grey scrawl of 'Tris' in the dim light. She had gotten good at not thinking about it before Evelyn crashed back into her life, she could go whole days not wondering why she seemed to have the soulmark of someone who didn’t exist.

‘Did you ever meet her?’ Jeanine turns her head to the sound of Evelyn’s voice.on her left. ‘Did you find her?’ She's watching Jeanine carefully, her voice is quiet as if she doesn't want to disturb the night.

'No.' Jeanine watches Evelyn's reaction as something flickers across her face, sadness maybe or pity? 

'You're close to Nichole aren't you? Surely you could use the registry database to find out if-'

'I can't abuse that power for personal use Evelyn.' They're still whispering in the dark as if someone might hear them, one of their families might catch them together after curfew when they should be in their own separate beds rather than two grown women in Jeanine's own apartment who haven't had a mandatory curfew for over ten years.

'You basically are the next Nichole, her iQ has been dropping marginally for years while yours is still in the rise. This is your year Jeanine.' Evelyn shifts her arms and finds Jeanine's hand, lacing their fingers together.

'It would be an-'

'It would be an abuse of power, whatever Jeanine, the fact that you're thinking like that probably means its OK to do it.' Evelyn looks so imploring, next to her in bed with her fingers threaded in her own, her blue eyes are begging her to at least try.

Jeanine is silent as she turns away, to look back up at the ceiling. 'I've managed this far without them, I don't need them.'

'They might need you.' Evelyn squeezes her hand gently. Jeanine knows Evelyn's soulmate is dead, she knows she settled with Marcus because their names were similar, she's laughed about maybe the smallest connection might have meant something.

Jeanine looks back at Evelyn, her eyes are wet. 'Maybe wherever she is, she needs you.'

'Oh Evelyn.' Jeanine reaches for her, wraps her arms around her as Evelyn lets out a small sob and buries her face in Jeanine's right shoulder.

'You have the power to find her Jeanine.' her voice is muffled, face still pressed into her skin, Jeanine can feel her warm tears.

 

When they wake in the morning they're still wrapped around each other. Evelyn gives her a sleepy smile as she slips out of Jeanine's arms to make it back to her house before her family wake. Jeanine makes them a small breakfast, she has to be at the office before Nichole. They kiss goodbye at the door and Jeanine fantasies about an entire life like that, in a world without marks maybe Evelyn wouldn't have a husband and they could have made it work.

 

Evelyn leaves after their 26th time, Jeanine doesn't know she's left until three days later when Markus finally tells the authorities his wife never returned home. Jeanine was the last person to see her apparently although no one but Evelyn and herself know that. The message comes to her late in her office, she has to re-read it three times before the words sink in. Evelyn ripped a hole in her fifteen years ago which had just started to heal before she re-opened the wound and all she can feel now are the raw edges rubbing against everything in her life.

Evelyn was right, Nichole's score slips enough for Jeanine to overtake her and become head of Erudite, the weight of the responsibility is the only thing keeping her in motion sometimes. Her mark doesn't just remind her of her faults anymore it also reminds her of Evelyn's words. Registered names don’t help her in her search, soul marks have proven time and time again that name changes always match, whoever Tris is, they haven’t chosen their name yet. 

 


End file.
